The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - Bastiat Institute

186 Chapter 31 • Whose Brilliant Idea?
It has often happened
in the history of
human invention that
similar discoveries
are made at the
same time purely
independently
by people widely
separated in space
and conditions.
Ludwig von Mises
Do the rewards of invention only go to the
inventor? If “1st-gadget” inventor cannot stall its
development, each new increment of innovation
will be rushed to the consumer without delay. That
may result in a far greater impetus for invention
than the current monopolising patent system.
The “1st-gadget” inventor might wish to
call on the government to use the law to prevent
anyone else from copying or improving on his
“1st-gadget”. He then has a patent on “1st-gadget”
and nobody else may sell it or make improvements
to it without paying him.
One problem is that it is impossible to invent
something without using ideas of others who
came before. Every inventor is building on ideas
that came from an idea, sight, book, or invention
that touched him. If this is so, how can the “1stgadget”
inventor be permitted to restrict other
people’s freedom to use his invention for further
inventions?
What about intellectual rights – the right to
own the use of ideas? Do the rules for inventing
“1st-gadget” apply to “1st-song”, “1st-fi lm” and
“1st-computer program”? Haven’t these originated
from other people’s ideas and inventions of music,
musical instruments, photography, computers,
and programs?
Would there be more harmony and less
aggression, more co-operative spirit and fewer
disputes, without patents?
Remarks
Ken: This is an excellent and healthy debate. I
am open to all the arguments and eager to fi nd
free market solutions.
This chapter was included largely to challenge
the readers to new perspectives about government
granted monopolies that may actually be
infringements on individual freedom. In the
absence of government enforced copyrights and
patents, there could be suffi cient guarantee of